Fall in love? Never!
by Queen Hermy Penguin
Summary: Kaoru thought that her life was at its worst point already. But that thought completely changed when she met a certain Count and she realized that NOW, her life was at its worst point. Or is it? KK. Horrible summary, I know, but please read this story!
1. Chapter 1

**Fall in love? Never. **

By

_Queen Hermy Penguin _

**Summary: **Kaoru thought that her life was at its worst point already. But that thought completely changed when she met a certain Count and she realized that NOW, her life was at its worst point. Or is it? KK. (Horrible summary, I know, but please read this story anyway!)

**A/N**: Don't know what got into me really, this story just popped into my mind and urged me to write. I've NEVER written a fanfic, but I'm giving it a try now, so please be nice! No flames please, constructive criticism is appreciated though!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or anything from it, only Nobuhiro Watsuki sir owns it. You happy now?!?! I don't own anything other than is plot!! Savvy?!?! sniff Oh Kenshin…..

**Warning: **I'm trying my best to keep everyone in character as much as possible, but seeing how my story is going, there is going to be OC stuff. Gentle Kenshin is NOT going to be the gentle Kenshin, so don't kill me. He's the only character so far that's really going to be off. I think Aoshi _miiight_ be just a little, but that's all so far.

".." – talking

'..' – thinking

_Italics_ – past/flashback/strain on a word

**Chapter 1 **

Kaoru Kamiya was angry. In fact, that would be an understatement. She was so infuriated that her anger was felt all the way in Antarctica and scared the living daylights out of all the penguins there that were squawking happily.

'How in seven hells did I end up in this predicament?' she thought bitterly. 'This is absolutely unfair! It's an outrage! Why do things like this _ALWAYS _happen to me?!'

Kaoru has every right to wonder about that, especially after all the disasters she had to endure for the past few months.

It all started when Kaoru's father fell sick. He was so sick that he was strictly told to take bed-rest by their family doctor, Dr. Gensai. His assistant, Megumi Takani, had been the one who took care of Kaoru's father whenever she could. But none of that could stop the inevitable, the death of Kaoru's father. Kaoru, naturally, was immensely saddened now that she had no family left. As per the culture, she had to wear all black dresses for a few months to show she was mourning her father, but that, unfortunately, brought down her already low funding.

What was worse, or so she thought, was that an old enemy of her father attacked her home about a month after her father's death. Gohei Hiruma, the said attacker, thought this was the best time to take revenge for what Kaoru's father did. Her father was the captain for one of the units in the British army and he suspended Gohei from it since he was being too much of a pompous and villainous arse. He completely ruined Kaoru's home so much that it needed to be rebuilt top to bottom, or in this case, bottom to top. Thankfully, Kaoru's rich friend Misao Makimachi, swooped in at the right time and took Kaoru under her care. She offered to help rebuild Kaoru's home and deal with all the money problems, but until that, Kaoru would be staying with her.

All of those disasters were not even close to what Kaoru was enduring right now.

_Kaoru was walking back to her temporary home, Misao's house, from the marketplace. Even though Misao offered to send a carriage for her, Kaoru refused it. She liked to walk alone for a while so she could think. Also, while at the marketplace, Kaoru bought two beautiful brooches for her and Misao. Hers was a beautiful blue flower that started as all white in the middle and slowly became all blue at the end of the petal. It also had an elegant red bough tied at its green stem. The center of the flower was studded with yellow topaz and the all these colors put together made a beautiful brooch. Misao's brooch, on the other hand, was a gorgeous mermaid. Her hair, the colour of the ocean, cascaded around her shoulders like water ripples and her scales were studded with bright turquoise gemstones. Kaoru couldn't help but stare at both of the brooches, mesmerized by them. _

_'I suppose it is a good thing I went to the marketplace then. I absolutely LOVE these brooches! Oh, Misao would be ecstatic after she sees her brooch! I picked this one especially for her since it matches her eyes!' she thought happily. She skipped a little and jumped but then looked around to make sure nobody saw that. _

_'Oh dear me, what am I doing? This is not the behavior of a proper lady! Control yourself, Kaoru!' she thought exasperatedly. She smoothed down the imaginary wrinkles on her black dress. _

_"Thank goodness, I don't have to wear black anymore after a few days! I was beginning to think I'll never be able to wear any other colour!" she muttered to herself as she smoothed down the last of the imaginary wrinkles. She then looked up at the sky and saw that it was turning grey. _

_"Oh no! I HAVE to get home soon! I do NOT_ _want to be soaking wet!" she yelled as she quickened her pace. The weather has not been too good for the past few days and the streets had many puddles all over and Kaoru had to make sure she didn't step in any of them. _

_Kaoru started jogging a little by the time the sky got even more grey, but unfortunately, she dropped everything in her hands. What was worse was the fact that she dropped them all in a puddle, which made it harder for her to find. She didn't realize that there were two men on their horses were approaching her way in a fast manner. It was too late to realize they were coming and she got splashed by the water from the puddle. She also heard a significant "crack" and she knew in her heart that that was from one of the brooches. _

_'Ooooh, those arrogant men! How dare they do this to me!' she thought angrily and she took a handful of wet mud and threw it at one of the men. _

_"You insolent pig, you call yourself a gentleman?!?! You splash me with dirty water AND you broke my friend's brooch and you don't stop to apologize?!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. _

_The victim of her mud-throwing was a red-haired man whose long glossy hair was covered with the said mud. He turned his horse angrily and came back to Kaoru. _

_"Why you insubordinate fool! You dare to throw mud at me?! Do you KNOW who I am?!?!" he said angrily as he got off his horse. _

_"I do not know, nor do I care, sir. You owe me a new dress AND a brooch," she said venomously. "Be happy I did not throw my shoes at you; they're in worse condition than your precious hair," she said, pointing at her shoes. _

_The other man who was traveling with this man got off his horse and glared at Kaoru with his icy grey eyes. His black bangs blew in the wind from the upcoming storm and he took a step closer to Kaoru. _

_"How DARE you throw mud at my friend, you wench…you call yourself a lady?! You ought to pay for this!" he said angrily as he took out his sword from his belt. "Apologize to him!" he yelled. _

_Meanwhile, Kaoru stood shell-shocked at what this man did. _

_'Good lord! I-I can't BELIEVE he's pointing a sword at me!' thought Kaoru, absolutely scandalized. _

_The red-haired man significantly paled at this point as well. _

_"A-Aoshi, now calm down! You do NOT have to do this. It's only mud. I'll go and wash it when I'm taking a bath! Just put your sword down, please! I beg of you!" he said calmly like talking to a wild animal. _

_"No Kenshin. Women like her need to be taught respect. After all, NO ONE treats nobility like that!" said Aoshi angrily, glaring at Kaoru. _

_"Are you really going to hurt me, sir? You think I can't fight back because I'm a woman?? Who do you think you are, the executioner? I am NOT scared of you!" said Kaoru bravely, even though she was not feeling a tiny bit of bravado. _

_Suddenly, all three of them were surrounded by men in uniforms. A tall man stepped forward from the men. He had short, black hair sleeked back and a few strands fell forward on his face but failed to cover his golden eyes. He calmly lit a cigar and took a few smokes. _

_"I hereby arrest all three of you in the name of the law for causing menace to the society," he said while puffing out more smoke. _

_Kenshin was the first one to revive from the momentary shock. _

_"I beg your pardon, sir? I have nothing to do with this whatsoever and neither does my friend over there. If you should arrest anyone here, it would be that woman! She threw mud at my hair! She doesn't even know who she's dealing with!" said Kenshin, pointing accusingly at Kaoru. _

_"If it comes to that, then neither do I, nor do I care for that matter. It doesn't change the fact that all three of you were being a menace to the public, right in front of the police station nonetheless," said the police officer. _

_"And who might you be?" asked Aoshi. _

_"Even though it's none of your business, I'm Saitou Hajime, the chief police officer in charge of guarding the public from the likes of you in this area," he said, glaring at Aoshi. "Arrest the three of them. Put the woman in a separate cell." _

_Kenshin and Aoshi were taken away towards a prison cell on the left side of the station by a couple of police officers while Kaoru was taken to the right side. _

_Another couple of officers came and talked to both parties to ask about who should be informed about this. They also told their side of the story of what exactly happened. Then both parties were left alone to their thoughts. _

And that was how Kaoru ended up in jail while there was a thunderstorm outside. She scowled and sat down on the dirty ground and took out the brooch that she did manage to find. It was hers.

'I suppose I should give this to Misao since hers is broken now…' she thought sadly. After all, she bought this one since it was the best of all the brooches she saw at the shop. 'Oh Misao…I'm so sorry!'

She quietly sobbed to herself.

**A/N**: Whoa..I can't _BELIEVE_ I wrote/typed so much! I seriously didn't think it would be _THIS_ long! Anywho, PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! And be nice! Oh, the funny thing was that when I was typing the second half of this chapter, there was actually a thunderstorm going on outside! Hehe, interesting, isn't it?


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: What the crap?! I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or anything from it, except for the plot! sniff MUST you rub it in?! sniff I KNOW Kenshin will never be real or be mine…he's Kaoru's!! Ooooh, maybe I should make an eeeeeevil plan to steal him from her…hehe….hehehe…..hehehehe……..hehehehehe………

Kaoru: ….um….should I be scared by that?

Me: Hehe, I don't know…._should_ you or _shouldn't_ you? Bwahahaha!! I'm eeeebil!! And yesh, it's E-B-I-L, so ha!

Kaoru: (shivers) Um….on with the story..?

".." – talking

'..' – thinking

_Italics_ – past/flashback/strain on a word

**Chapter 2**

If someone asked why Misao was furious right now, that person would probably be bludgeoned to death by her purse which, by the way, was filled with powder (to powder her face of course!), a small mirror (to see and admire her gorgeous self and maaaybe sneak a glance at some handsome man), two pairs of gloves (in case she loses one, which she usually does), a book, money, and a ridiculous amount of small rocks (she believes she can defend herself in case someone decides to kidnap her since she's not allowed to carry weapons). Basically, any man, or any person for that matter, will suffer a great deal by her hands. Well, by her purse to be specific.

"Hurry up! We need to reach the police station as soon as possible!" yelled Misao as she banged on the roof of her carriage. The carriage, of course, sped up even more, because NO ONE would want to displease their mistress.

Misao forced herself to bite down her teeth in order to control her temper. She looked out the window to distract her mind but the rain was pouring down so much that nothing could be seen. This brought down her mood even more so she looked away.

'Good lord…must it _rain_ so much?? It really doesn't help my mood right now…' her thoughts shifted to her friend. 'Oh Kaoru…what happened? Why would the police want to arrest you? They couldn't possibly think YOU ruined your own home! Or is it something else?'

She looked out the window again for a while and sighed. She got the message from the police just a little while ago since she wasn't home herself. The message though, was delivered that afternoon, which was a few hours ago.

'Oh Kaoru…you poor thing…you must be freezing right now! Why do the bad things always happen to you? You deserve none of it!'

She sighed again while her mood plunged deeper into misery as she couldn't stop imagining the worst scenarios for her friend.

* * *

Kaoru sneezed loudly and sniffed. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was red from crying. Mind you, she cried silently, because she doesn't like crying in front of people.

'Am I going to be in jail forever? All I did was throw mud! I can't be in jail forever for that! The officers said they sent a message to Misao, but she's not here…maybe she doesn't want me as her friend anymore…I've shamed her by going to jail after all….maybe that's why she isn't here yet?' thought Kaoru.

She bit down another heart-wrenching sob, but unfortunately, she couldn't stop her tears. They flowed down her cheeks like they were streams flowing down a mountain, and they dripped onto her dress, just like their predecessors. Kaoru couldn't help but hold onto hope that Misao would rescue her, just like she did many times before. But fear finally penetrated through her defenses and grasped at her one weakness: her uncertainty. She leaned against the grimy wall and just stared at the opposite wall, tears still pouring out of her eyes. She didn't realize it, but she dozed off at some point, hiccupping once in a while.

Suddenly, she was woken up by loud noises.

'Hmm…it sounds like someone's yelling…I wonder who it is…?' thought Kaoru as she got up and walked towards her cell door. However, the closer she got, the more familiar the voice was.

"It couldn't be…..could it?" muttered Kaoru as she looked out of her cell door and saw none other than Misao, arguing furiously with Saitou Hajime.

"I demand you to release Kaoru at once, sir! How dare you arrest her for something as silly as being a disturbance to the society?? She is not the sort who would do such a thing! Release her, NOW!" yelled Misao as she slapped down hard on the table to emphasize her point.

Kaoru nearly whooped in joy but controlled herself to just calling out for Misao.

"Pssst, Misao! Misaaaao!" whispered Kaoru. She wiggled her arms out through her cell door to get Misao's attention. Unfortunately for her, Misao didn't see or hear Kaoru.

"How DARE you do such a thing to a lady?!?! Release her at once! Or I'll make sure I'll take this to higher authorities and have them take action on you! Release her!" yelled on Misao, making a scene in the police station.

Kaoru rolled her eyes and hissed for Misao and yet again, it was only heard by deaf ears. Kaoru got impatient and finally did the only thing she could.

"MISAO MAKIMACHI!!" yelled Kaoru at the top of her lungs. Stunned, Misao turned to look at the source of the voice. She let out a gasp.

"KAAAOOOORRUUUUUU!!" screamed Misao as she dashed to her friend. "Oh Kaoru! Are you alright? You look ghastly!"

"Misao….." said Kaoru patiently.

"And you look like you've been crying! Did they do something to you?? Were they being mean to you?? Because if they were, I'll make sure that they'll face severe consequences!" Misao ranted on.

"Misaaaooo……" said Kaoru trying to get Misao's attention.

"Oh, I came here as soon as possible! I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner, I was somewhere else! I only got the message this evening! Oh Kaoru, I'm so sorry!" said Misao sadly.

"MISAO!" yelled Kaoru impatiently, shutting Misao up instantly. She bit down her lip from yelling more and took some breathes in. Finally, she let out a sigh.

"Misao dear, I need you to be calm in this situation. We will talk all about this when we are home, alright? Please be patient and pay for my bail so we can get out of this disgusting place. Can you do that for me, Misao?" asked Kaoru in a gentler tone. Misao nodded fervently and immediately went to do as Kaoru said.

"Um, Mister Policeman, sir? Would you please release my friend Kaoru? I will pay for the bail," said Misao as calmly as she could. Saitou looked at her through narrowed eyes.

"Why should I let her out after you barge into _my_ police station and behave rudely and causing a ruckus? I would rather put _you_ in jail _with_ your friend over there," said Saitou, pointing towards Kaoru. Misao looked like she was going to go into another tirade but one look from Kaoru shut her up.

"Well Mister Po-"

"My name is _not_ 'Mister Policeman'. My name is Saitou Hajime," said Saitou as he narrowed his eyes more.

"Pardon, Mister _Hajime_, I……apologize for my behavior. You must know that I was merely concerned for my dear friend, that's all! Please, PLEASE, release her!" begged Misao, forgetting her anger. Saitou just stared between her and Kaoru for a while. Then, he closed his eyes and opened it again.

"Alright, fine. Constable, release her," said Saitou. He shifted his gaze back to Misao. "And you miss, you better behave from now on. Or I will not be as lenient as I am right now. Now go, and take your friend."

As soon as Kaoru got out of her cell, Misao rushed forward and hugged her tightly. And when they released each other, they laughed a little.

"Oh Kaoru! Thank god you weren't hurt! I was expecting something worse! From now on, I'm never sending you to the marketplace alone again!" said Misao in her mock-angry tone. And then they both just laughed again.

"Oh, that reminds me, I have something for you," said Kaoru as she opened the handkerchief in her hands, revealing the blue flower brooch.

Misao just gasped when she looked at the brooch in awe. Kaoru took one of Misao's hands and placed the brooch in it.

"Oh Kaoru…it's…it's beautiful! It looks so real!" exclaimed Misao happily. "Oh, didn't you get one for yourself?"

Kaoru hesitated a little. She didn't want to tell Misao that she was giving up her brooch. After all, Misao's brooch broke and if she found out Kaoru was giving hers, then she'd feel terrible and wouldn't take it.

"M-mine? O-oh yes, mine. Well…mine broke. I could only save yours. So, there it is!" said Kaoru, putting on her fake smile and hoping Misao would buy her little story.

"Oh…I'm so sorry Kaoru! Do you want mine instead?" asked Misao, holding the brooch forward to Kaoru.

"N-no, of course not Misao! It's yours, I bought it FOR you! Take it!" exclaimed Kaoru in shock.

"Well…if you say so…oh, let's go home Kaoru! Grandfather and Yahiko are probably waiting for us so we could eat supper together!" exclaimed Misao as she dragged Kaoru towards the front of the police station. Misao stopped and turned to look at Saitou Hajime and did a little curtsy. "Thank you, Mister Hajime!" And she grabbed hold of Kaoru again and rushed to their carriage outside without waiting for Saitou's response.

* * *

In one of the other cells, a certain red-haired man and his black-haired companion listened to the commotion outside.

'Who was that loud girl I wonder…she made quite a riot inside the police station but the officer didn't arrest her…?' thought Aoshi.

'Well, that was interesting. I'm surprised the other girl wasn't arrested…and if I remember correctly, that rude woman said that Aoshi and I broke her _friend's_ brooch, not hers…could it be that she gave up _her_ brooch for her friend? If yes, why would she do that?" wondered Kenshin. 'And I wish Soujiro would hurry up and get here…this place smells terrible!'

**A/N:** Okay, does anyone know if Saitou's first is Saitou or Hajime? Japanese people usually introduce themselves starting with their last names, right? So, what part of his name is what?


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything other than the plot. Nobuhiro Watsuki is the one who owns our favourite red-head and his gang. And his enemies. And his master. And Tomoe. Basically, the ENTIRE cast of RK. Savvy? Savvy. So you lawyers can't arrest me for this! Bwahahahahaha!!

"…"- talking

'…'- thinking

_Italics_- past/flashback/strain on a word

**Chapter 3**

Kaoru yawned as she got up from her bed. She stretched out her arms and walked up and opened the curtains of her room. Immediately, she was blinded by the daylight but once she got adjusted, she looked down at the sight before her. All the plants in the garden were greener than usual, covered in dew. They glowed so much that if anyone looked into the garden, it would feel as though the plants were screaming "Look at me! Look at me! I'm so healthy and green! Why don't you come in to see us, you'll have a better view!" or something along those lines. Kaoru smiled down from her window at the garden. It would seem that the plants were the sole creatures to enjoy the rain from the past few days. She could tell by the flowers that started blooming in many of the plants, from roses to daises, from the grass that grew around the bigger trees to the climbers that covered the wall, and all in all, the garden was a breathtaking sight. Kaoru breathed in the smell of wet soil and fresh air and smiled wider, feeling content. She stifled another yawn and leaned against the window frame.

Suddenly, she almost fell out the window by the loud "bang" in her room. It turned out that it was Misao entering Kaoru's room dramatically and flailing her arms and squealing at Kaoru.

"Oooooh, Kaoru! I'm glad you were up already because I didn't want to wake you up and be killed right then and there by you!" said Misao excitedly. Kaoru was momentarily shocked but quickly composed herself.

"So, what do you want, Misao?" asked Kaoru, grinning since she couldn't resist being influenced by Misao's cheerful mood.

"Well, apparently we are going to have guests soon," said Misao as she sat down on Kaoru's bed.

"Guests? Do they have something to do with your grandfather's business? How many guests are you going to have?" asked Kaoru curiously as she sat beside Misao.

"Yes, we are going to have guests. Yes, they have something to do with my grandfather's business. And we are going to have three guests who are going to stay here as well," said Misao, listing all this with her fingers.

"Staying here? You mean they're not from here?" asked Kaoru, puzzled.

"No, they're not. At first, it was going to be only two of them coming here. But those two got into trouble of some sort, so they sent for another person to help them. So now, we're going to have three people joining us," said Misao informatively.

"Who are they? Are they important? Because we would have to dress better than we usually do," said Kaoru worriedly. She wasn't looking forward to wearing a painful corset and almost fainting like she did last time. That was humiliating enough. Misao knew what Kaoru was thinking because she was blushing crimson.

"Well, we are going to be joined by the Count of the Glouchester Castle, his subordinate, and the Earl of Dillamond Lake," said Misao thoughtfully. She immediately reached out to pat Kaoru's hand by the look on her face and smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry, Kaoru. We don't have to dress grandly, we just have to look a little more than presentable, that's all!"

Kaoru visibly relaxed and smiled her thank you. She then stood up and grabbed her robe and put it on. Once she felt that she looked fairly decent, she turned and smiled at Misao.

"Well then! Let's go have some breakfast, shall we, Your Majesty?" asked Kaoru pompously in her fake manly voice and she held the door open for Misao. She did an exaggerated bow as Misao rose from the bed and walked towards Kaoru.

"Why, yes of course, young man! Let's!" said Misao pristinely as she walked out of the room with her head held up high and straightened up to make herself look taller even though it didn't make much of a difference.

Both walked to the dining hall behaving in this manner. When they reached there, Kaoru immediately walked ahead and pulled the chair out for Misao.

"Why, thank you, young man! You have pleased us with your service!" said Misao, still in her pristine tone, as she sat down.

"You're absolutely welcome, Your Majesty! What other purpose do I have in this world other than to please you?" asked Kaoru in her fake manly voice as she sat down beside Misao.

Both finally looked up from their little act and met two pairs of eyes staring at them, one was amused and the other was staring like both of the women were not from this world. Kaoru and Misao just looked at each other and started laughing.

"And what, I pray, was _that_ all about?" asked Yahiko, still staring incredulously.

"That, my dear Yahiko, is what we call 'fun'. Haven't _you_ heard of it?" asked Kaoru, still grinning ear to ear. She started buttering her bread and thanked the maid when she poured some tea into her cup.

"Fun, is it? Well, I would rather learn how to sew than join two women behaving like little children and pretending to be a king and his servant," said Yahiko while glaring at Kaoru. He also thanked the maid when she poured some tea into his cup and sipped some of it.

"Now whoever said I was pretending to be a king? I was a queen and a very good one at that, thank you very much!" exclaimed Misao. She "ahem"ed and looked proud.

"Oh, _do_ forgive me, _Your Majesty_. I will take note that you are a woman and never confuse your sex again," said Yahiko sarcastically and pasted a fake smile. He did his best exaggerated bow he could while still sitting down.

"Ho ho, looks like _someone_ woke up on the wrong side of the bed," whispered Misao loudly to Kaoru and both burst into laughter again. Yahiko narrowed eyes and was about to retort when a hand raised and stopped his oncoming tirade.

As amused as Nenji Kashiwazaki (more commonly known as Okina), Misao's grandfather, was, watching the little war between the two women and the boy, he did not want Yahiko to be angered more because that would lead Okina to calm him down. That would be very bad indeed, since he would be involved in the war as well.

"Now now, Yahiko. You should know that those two are only trying to provoke you. You shouldn't fall for such a trap," said Okina calmly, resisting to smile when Yahiko backed down and pouted. He turned to Kaoru and Misao. "And you two! Be nice to him!" he reprimanded.

"But Grandfather! Do not blame _us_ for his mistake! We weren't the ones who told him to stay up late at night reading a book!" pleaded Misao. Yahiko flushed crimson at that comment.

"W-what are you talking about?? I couldn't sleep last night because of the noise you two were making! With all your giggling and singing and shrieking, what person in the right mind would've been able to sleep??" retorted Yahiko.

"Oh suuuure….blame _us_ for your idiocy, why don't you?" said Misao sarcastically.

"You don't have to tell me that because I already did!" yelled Yahiko.

"_Little_ Yahiko!"

"Weasel!"

"ENOUGH!" yelled Kaoru. "Both of you, stop arguing! We have to get ready for our guests! We can't spend all day fighting like cats and dogs! Now move!"

Kaoru then got up from her seat and made a shooing motion to both of them. Yahiko looked like he wanted to retort but one bone-quelling look from Kaoru silenced him. Both Misao and Yahiko huffed and walked off to their respectable rooms. When Kaoru turned, Okina was just getting up from his seat. He smiled at Kaoru.

"Thank you for stopping the war. I really didn't want to deal with this first thing in the morning!" said Okina sheepishly.

"Don't thank me, Mister Kashiwazaki! It's the least I could do in return for letting me stay here!" said Kaoru as she smiled back. Okina smiled wider at that.

"Hahahaha! Well then, I might as well start getting ready for our guests!" said Okina as he started walking away.

"Oh wait! I was wondering…um, how long will our guests stay here?" asked Kaoru curiously.

"Well, they will stay here as long as they wish to. I offered our home for their stay and told them that they can spend sometime here if they wanted. Sort of like a holiday, to be specific. They will be making deals with my business and at the same time have some sight-seeing done. Who knows, they might be only staying here for two weeks or two months!" said Okina as he chuckled at the last comment.

"Two months?!?! My goodness…that's a long time!" exclaimed Kaoru, shock and worry evident in her eyes.

"Oh don't worry, Kaoru. Don't be nervous, they can't do anything to you. At least, not while I'm here. Just be yourself, I'm sure they'll like you!" said Okina encouragingly and Kaoru smiled back weakly. "Oh dear, we really must get ready! I'm not too sure when they're coming, so let us make haste!" And he walked quickly out of the dining hall.

Kaoru went to her room and checked her wardrobe to see what she was going to wear. She sighed and stared at her dresses.

'I don't know why I even bother checking my wardrobe! They're all black!' thought Kaoru and she took out one of the dresses and laid it out on her bed. She then walked to the bathroom that was attached to her room and found that everything was ready for her. She took off her clothing and slowly stepped into the bathtub.

'Hmm…I should remember to thank the maids for preparing all this. It is just the way I like too,' thought Kaoru as she sat in the tub and she let out a sigh, feeling content. She looked around and remembered the first time she took a bath in this room. She was in utter shock when she saw just how big it was. The walls were painted with a mix of cream and gold, giving it a very cozy feeling and the ceiling was very high. The floor was made of off-white marble and it reflected the sunlight from the windows that were only off from the ceiling by a three or four feet. When Kaoru wanted to take a bath at night, the room would instead glow with candle lights. The taps in the bathroom were made of bronze, but painted gold and it blended perfectly with the rest of the room. To put it short, this was the best bathroom Kaoru had ever seen.

After her bath, she took one of the towels and wiped herself dry and put on her petticoat and walked back into her room. She out on more layers of petticoats and when she was about to put on her dress, the doors swung open with a bang. Kaoru shrieked bloody murder and grabbed her dress to cover herself.

"Ah, Kaoru! I'm glad you're out of the bathroom! I was really nervous to interrupt your bath and then be strangled by the towels in the bathroom because of it!" exclaimed Misao excitedly as she carried a package into the room. Kaoru recovered from her momentary shock and growled to herself.

'Note to self: lock the doors of the room to prevent ANYBODY from entering the room. Then again, this is _Misao_ we're talking about. I don't think any lock in this world can prevent her from entering a room without a "bang",' thought Kaoru, frustrated. She quickly composed herself and asked as politely as she could.

"What do you want, Misao?" asked Kaoru, straining to keep her temper in check.

"I don't want anything, silly! But I do have something for _you_!" exclaimed Misao as she unwrapped the package. Kaoru gasped. Under all that paper, was a beautiful, blue dress.

"Wha…what is that?" said Kaoru, still stunned.

"It's called a 'dress', my dear. It's something women wear to look nice and presentable, not to mention cover themselves. Do you not know what it is or has your mind lost all your memories of wearing dresses that were other than black? Surely you couldn't have forgotten wearing different coloured dresses!" mock-reprimanded Misao, though her eyes clearly stated that she was very amused. Kaoru rolled her eyes.

"I know it's a dress, _dear._ I just wanted to know _why_ you brought the dress here!" said Kaoru exasperatedly. Really, what was a girl to do when she sees such a pretty dress? Kaoru believed her reaction was better than most women, who would be squealing like a soprano mouse being strangled.

"Well, I thought you needed a new dress since you're going to get out of your mourning period soon. But since we're going to have guests today, I thought you should get out of your mourning period sooner. Hence, the dress!" said Misao excitedly as she pointed at the said dress.

"I-I can't get out of my mourning period now, what would our society think?" exclaimed Kaoru, shocked.

"The _society_ isn't the one wearing black dresses everyday. Not to mention the fact that NOBODY is keeping track of how many days does Kaoru wear black. Besides, your father would want you to look beautiful like a 'princess', as he always called you, and would want you to move on,' said Misao, all traces of humour gone from her face. Suddenly she broke into a smile. "And who knows? Maybe one of these guests could be one of your suitors! So, wouldn't you want to dress pretty for a future husband? You need to look beautiful if you want one of them to come up to you the moment he sees you and asks your permission to court you!"

Kaoru blushed crimson by Misao's comments but couldn't resist smiling a bit. Misao gave her the dress and got up.

"Well, I need to go and make sure everything is set for our guests. So, wear that dress and meet me later to greet the guests," said Misao. "Oh, here are some things for you to wear with that dress." She placed a matching necklace, earrings, and a clip on the dress and walked to the door and opened it.

"Misao, wait!" said Kaoru. Misao turned and looked at her. "Thank you very much for the dress!" said Kaoru as she smiled. Misao just smiled back and closed the door.

Kaoru then put on her dress and went to look in the mirror. She let out a gasp. There, in the reflection, stood a beautiful woman who looked like the epitome of grace and beauty. The dress fit her perfectly on every curve, and the lace added more volume to her. There were blue satin sashes hanging out her arms and her hip, so she tied each of them into perfect knots. Then she added a little bit of powder here and there on her face and proceeded to fix her hair into a barrette with the help of the clip Misao gave her. After that, she put on her jewelry and looked over herself to see if everything was in place. Once she was satisfied, she left her room.

Outside her room, she met with Yahiko. She giggled when he just stood there, gaping like a fish. Then he suddenly composed himself and "ahem"ed to hide his embarrassment. But he couldn't do anything about the blush on his face, so he resorted to distract Kaoru from focusing on him and laughing at him.

"Was it just me or did I hear someone shriek like a banshee earlier?" asked Yahiko curiously. All traces of humour were gone from Kaoru's face and she started walking away from Yahiko.

"Don't ask," said Kaoru sternly over her shoulder. Yahiko quickly caught up with Kaoru and rolled his eyes.

"I'll never understand women," said Yahiko exasperatedly. Kaoru's lips twitched upward but disappeared immediately as she met with Misao. Misao was grinning ear to ear.

"The guests are here! And you should look at them, they are sooo handsome!" exclaimed Misao excitedly. Kaoru grinned back at Misao in response.

"Well then, I'll go and have some tea ready for them!" said Kaoru as walked up and started pouring tea in each cup. Using a little spoon, she started to put the necessary amount of sugar in two cups for her and Misao, when the guests walked in and she straightened up. Suddenly, there was a "clang" that echoed a bit as Kaoru dropped the spoon. Kaoru stood there in shock, like a deer caught in headlights.

There stood three men, two of them she thought she'd never see again.

* * *

**A/N:** Whooooaaa……that chapter was just a _taaad_ too long in my opinion. I think I added too many details. What do you people think? Should I edit some stuff out or should I leave it as it is? But I also think you people deserve such a long chapter since I haven't updated in a while. Let me know if I should keep writing huge chapters or not.

Also, I'd like to thank these people (in no particular order) for their reviews: Tsunamichirag, a-fs-kit-jeni-7-28, Battousai's Woman, vtori77777, animebdoll, Sakura Kaoru-chan, xXoro-chanXx, JennyKim319, Reignashii, and alwyzme for such wonderful reviews! I memorized every review, from Sakura Kaoru-chan's many "so good's" and "can't wait's" to the paragraphs by alwyzme! I know it may sound creepy, but I just couldn't get over the shock that people ACTUALLY liked my story! And thank you to all those "mysterious" readers who's names weren't mentioned since they didn't leave a review (hint hint, LEAVE A REVIEW! wink wink) but added my story to their favourite list.

Once again, thank you and hugs to everyone! You have all inspired me to continue my story! I was going to give up after writing the first chapter since I thought it was very bad, but after such wonderful reviews, I feel very much inspired! So please keep reviewing for my self-esteem issues at least and keep reading my story! Arigatou gozaimasu! (bows)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Baaaah, _must_ I repeat myself all the time? –sigh- Fine, I will then. I do not own Rurouni Kenshin whatsoever. Only Nobuhiro Watsuki does. So don't hunt me down please, I have no money at all! You have to believe me! 

"…"- talking

'…'- thinking

_Italics_- past/flashback/strain on a word

**Chapter 4**

Kenshin stood there in shock. There, a few paces ahead of him, was her. Yes, it was most definitely her, only in different clothing. Of all the people to see, why did it have to be _her_, the girl he had sworn to hate for all eternity? He looked over at Aoshi to find that there was no expression on his face. But from knowing Aoshi for a little while, Kenshin knew Aoshi was alarmed by the stiffness in his form, his hand on his sword. Aoshi then looked over at Kenshin and met his gaze. He then moved his hand away from the sword after the slightest of nods; however, Aoshi's behaviour seemed to have aroused Misao's curiosity.

"Pardon me, Mister Shinomori, but why do you carry a sword?" asked Misao curiously.

"He believes that one should never be caught off-guard," said Kenshin immediately, saving Aoshi from explaining. He mentally slapped himself. Why did _he_ open his mouth? The question was not meant for him, after all. Misao said something in return but he didn't pay attention since he shifted his gaze back to Kaoru. Amber orbs, livid with anger, clashed with blue ones, equally livid.

'Hmm…it would seem that she recognizes me as well…but I shouldn't be surprised…it has only been a day after all…,' thought Kenshin as he kept staring at Kaoru. But the staring contest was interrupted by Okina.

"Well then, Mister Himura, and Mister Shinomori, why don't we sit down in the drawing room?" asked Okina, as he walked into the room and to the area where the seats were located. Everybody followed him and seated him or herself properly and Okina proceeded to introduce everyone to each other.

But Kenshin paid no heed. He simply walked up to Kaoru until they were only a feet or two apart. He slowly took Kaoru's hand and kissed it, never breaking eye contact with her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss…?"

"K-Kaoru Kamiya."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kaoru," said Kenshin, though the angry gleam in his eyes said otherwise. Then he said something that had Kaoru's eyes widen.

"Best be on guard, little bird. You may never know of when you'll become prey," whispered Kenshin, his warm breath grazing Kaoru's skin on her hand. He gave her a wicked smile that would have had every girl in the vicinity swooning and cooing over him. And when Kaoru shivered, his smile broadened, turning into a devilish smile. He then let go of her hand, quickly composed his face, and turned to join the rest of the people.

* * *

If Kaoru looked shocked before, then now she looked positively staggered. Then she regained her awareness and bent down to pick up the spoon and placed it down and got another spoon as a replacement. She shakily picked up the tray and placed it on the table as carefully as possible and immediately sat down. She looked around at the seating arrangement. Okina was sitting on the single sofa on the right and Yahiko, Kaoru, and Misao were sitting on the lengthy one. Kaoru was thankful that Misao was sitting beside her and Yahiko on Misao's other side, because she didn't want to deal with Yahiko's questions. The guests, however, were sitting on the other lengthy sofa that was across from this one. Aoshi was sitting closer to Okina, followed by Kenshin's subordinate, and then Kenshin himself. It just so happened that Kenshin sat right across Kaoru. Kaoru found him staring at her and immediately looked down at her hands, blushing angrily. 

'I…I can't _believe_ he is here…a-and what he said…goodness, it seems the gods are definitely against me. Oh why oh _why_, are they against me? What did I do in my past life to deserve this? Haven't I suffered enough misery for a lifetime? That arrogant man just _challenged_ me…what am I supposed to do? Be on guard day and night? Of all the people, why _him_??' thought Kaoru, completely frustrated. She fidgeted with her hands and stopped to listen to the conversation so she could distract herself.

"I hope your stay here would be pleasant, Mister Himura and Mister Shinomori. I pride myself in having such an amazing mansion and the best cooks, next to the cooks of the royal family of course," said Okina while he chuckled at his last comment. Misao and Yahiko joined him as well. Kaoru just smiled.

Suddenly, the butler came in a hurried fashion.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Master, but there is someone here to see you, Lady Misao, and Master Yahiko," said the butler in a cultured voice. Misao, Okina, and Yahiko looked at each other surprised, and got up.

"Pardon me, gentlemen, it seems we have to take care of something. But fear not, should you need anything, Kaoru is here to help you," said Okina as he smiled and left the room immediately, followed by Yahiko.

Misao would have left too if it had not been for Kaoru holding her hand tightly and refusing to let go. When Misao turned to Kaoru, Kaoru looked at Misao pleadingly and mouthed 'Don't leave me' and 'Stay'. Misao just looked at Kaoru, confused, but gently made Kaoru break her grip.

"Don't worry, I'll be back!" whispered Misao and she got up and left.

Kaoru watched hopelessly as Misao left the room as well. She kept staring at the doorway and then turned back to see three pairs of eyes staring at her. She gulped and sweat started forming on her forehead. She kept her mouth sealed since she was very close to hyperventilation, but she was raised to be good mannered.

"I-is there anything you gentlemen would like?" squeaked out Kaoru and mentally slapped herself for being so weak. She tried to smile encouragingly at them. "More tea or biscuits?"

They all shook their head and then everything was silent. Kaoru looked at each one of them and these were her observations: Kenshin was staring at her with his devilish smirk (which made her angry blush deeper), Soujiro was just looking around the room (which she relaxed at), and Aoshi glaring at her (which she turned her face even more red, making her face look like a tomato with a blue dress). She immediately looked down at her hands and tried to calm herself.

'What is wrong with me? I shouldn't be afraid of them! They are nothing but arrogant men who don't know how to treat a lady! I am brave and will not cower to the likes of them!' thought Kaoru. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out.

"Forgive me, Miss Kamiya, but you wouldn't mind answering a few questions, would you?" said a voice, breaking Kaoru's concentration. She immediately looked up to find Kenshin's subordinate smiling at her. She "ahemed" and smiled back.

"Of course not, Mister…?"

"Oh, forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Soujiro Seta, Mister Himura's assistant," said Soujiro, smiling apologetically. "Though I thought Mister Kashiwazaki already introduced all of us."

It was Kaoru's turn to smile apologetically. "No, you should forgive _me_, I didn't pay attention even though I was getting tea ready."

"I understand, Miss Kamiya. You don't need to apologize!" said Soujiro as he chuckled, joined by Kaoru as well. Once they were done, they just smiled at each other.

"So, what were the questions you wanted to ask, Mister Seta?" asked Kaoru.

"Well…I was curious about this family. I've noticed that every one of you have a different last name. Lady Makimachi addresses Mister Kashiwazaki as her grandfather, but they don't have the same last name either. Is there any…reasons behind all this?" asked Soujiro curiously. Kaoru just smiled wider.

"Well, we all have different last names because not all of us are related!" said Kaoru and she giggled at Soujiro's puzzled face.

"I don't understand…?" started Soujiro and was stopped when Kaoru held up a finger.

"Let me explain it clearly. Mister Kashiwazaki was the caretaker and uncle of Lady Makimachi's father. After her birth, both her mother and father died in an accident, leaving her to be under the care of Mister Kashiwazaki. Their bond is the perfect example of how a granddaughter and grandfather should be to each other," said Kaoru as she smiled gently, her eyes softening. "I envy Misao really. I wish I had a grandfather like him."

"And what about the little boy?" asked Soujiro after a little while.

"First, I would like to give you a little warning. NEVER call Yahiko 'little', or you will suffer his wrath!" said Kaoru seriously. But after seeing the surprise on Soujiro's face, she burst out laughing.

"Well, I don't know if he'll hurt you in any way, but please don't call him 'little'. He finds it very demeaning," said Kaoru.

"I shall make note of that," said Soujiro as he smiled again. "Shall I rephrase? I meant to say "what about Mister Myoujin?"

"Well, Yahiko is a special boy. Misao and I found him one day in the marketplace and he tried to steal money from us," said Kaoru and she laughed at the expression on Soujiro's face. Then she continued. "You see, he was from a very poor family. His father was part of the militia and was killed, leaving his mother and him with nothing. His mother then worked so much to support both of them but she fell sick. It had gotten to the stage where her death was inevitable and then one day, she died, leaving Yahiko all alone to fend for himself. He resorted to steal money even though he found it very demeaning and questioned his honour."

"But that doesn't explain how he's living here…he tried to steal from you and yet here he is, living in this mansion!" said Soujiro, surprised. Kaoru giggled in response.

"Well, as odd as that sounds, it's true. Even though he tried to steal money from us, we could tell that he didn't want to do it. He had no other choice, he was very hungry. So, we brought him here and gave him food and clothing. We explained to Mister Okina about his situation and he agreed with us," said Kaoru.

"Mister Okina? And agreed to what?" asked Soujiro, puzzled.

"Oh, Mister Okina is Mister Kashiwazaki," said Kaoru and Soujiro replied with an "Oh". "And as for agreeing, he agreed with us about letting Yahiko stay here. We could tell that there was more to him than what we saw, so he agreed to letting Misao take him in under her care."

"The three of you seem very gracious. He must be very grateful for what you did," said Soujiro. At that, Kaoru burst out laughing.

"He doesn't show it, but we know he is!" said Kaoru, in between her laughing. Once she calmed down, she "ahemed" and mumbled an apology.

"And what about you, Miss Kamiya…?"

"Well…I am living here temporarily. My home is being rebuilt and Misao let me stay here until then," said Kaoru with finality. She didn't want to say anything more in the matter.

"How generous of Lady Makimachi! She must be a good friend!" said Soujiro. He could tell that there was more to that as well, but didn't pursue it. He didn't want to make Kaoru uncomfortable. And though Kenshin and Aoshi pretended not to listen, they paid attention to every word from Kaoru.

"Yes, she is! She is my best friend!" said Kaoru as she smiled.

Suddenly, Misao rushed into the room and plopped down beside Kaoru. She seemed ecstatic about something and was quivering with excitement.

"Kaoru, you'll NEVER guess who's here!!" said Misao enthusiastically.

"Who's here?" asked Kaoru curiously, laughing at Misao at the same time.

"I'm here!" said a voice from the doorway and Kaoru stood up, shocked.

* * *

**A/N:** Man, that was a loooooong and boring chapter. I had to do that guys, I'm sorry! Many people have been asking me about who's who and what is he/she doing here and what not, so I had to do that. But fear not, I'll be updating the next chapter very soon! I'm sorry again for such a long and boringly informative chapter, bear with me! I'll update soon, I promise!! Btw, I have a new beta!!!! Say hello to **cutepuff** everyone! 


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I own the mind that came up with this plot…does that count as a disclaimer? I didn't say that I owned RK, so HA, take that you scummy lawyers! Oh wait, I JUST said that in that sentence…said scummy lawyers stare at the author with a devilish smile Oh crap! I didn't mean it that way! I don't own RK! Don't hunt me, I'm poor! Attack, um, uh, my beta (sorry cutepuff)! Wait wait, don't attack her! How about no attacking at all? ;;

"…"- talking

'…'- thinking

_Italics_- past/flashback/strain on a word

**Chapter 5**

Kaoru stood there, her breath completely knocked out of her. After all, she thought she'd never see him, because of who he was and all. So naturally, this was a complete shock to her. Because the person who stood at the doorway, was none other than Sanosuke Sagara, Misao's distant cousin.

"Heh, nice way to greet me, Missy. Here I am, standing here, a friend who you haven't seen for a _long_ while, and instead, I get you staring at me like one of those puffer fish," said Sano, shaking his head disbelievingly while walking into the room slowly. That statement definitely broke Kaoru from her reverie because she grinned and ran towards him.

"SANO!" screamed Kaoru enthusiastically and threw herself at him and hugged him. Sano just laughed and lifted her up and spun her around, making her squeal. When he set her down, Kaoru smacked him lightly and playfully pouted.

"See, now _that's_ the response I expected when you saw me, not the one where you were gaping at me," said Sano, a wide grin on his face and he let go of Kaoru.

Kaoru just shook her head as she laughed in response to his statement. Misao came and joined them in laughing. Yahiko walked in with a smile but it quickly disappeared when Misao pulled him along with the other two into a group hug.

"Oh, it's soooo good to have all of us together again! I missed having fun with you three!" said Misao happily, ignoring the "Let go!" and "Grrr!" from Yahiko. Then she proceeded to drag the other three to the sofa and they all sat together, with Sano fudged in between Misao and Kaoru and Yahiko beside Misao, yet again. Misao "ahem"ed and proceeded to introduce Sano.

"This is my distant cousin, Sanosuke Sagara," said Misao enthusiastically and when Soujiro opened his mouth to say something, she held up her finger and continued. "But just because we are distant does not mean we are not close!"

"That didn't make any sense, Misao," pointed out Yahiko. "How can you be close when you're distant?"

"I was _trying_ to make a _joke_, _little_ Yahiko. But being YOU, you just had to ruin it, as usual," said Misao, rolling her eyes.

"I am NOT little, weasel!" yelled Yahiko

"Prove it, _LITTLE_ Yahiko," said Misao with a smirk on her face. Yahiko opened his mouth but he couldn't retaliate, so he closed his mouth. "Exactly. Now be quiet and stop ruining my jokes!"

Sano and Kaoru just shook their heads while laughing. And then, Sano proceeded to reach over and ruffled Yahiko's hair, which earned him a snarl from the latter and Misao had to hold back Yahiko from attacking Sano. When Okina walked into the room, he saw Kaoru and Sano laughing their head off while Yahiko was trying to break loose from Misao to attack Sano. He also found the guests staring at the four with different emotions on each of their faces; Kenshin had eyebrow raised, barely resisting to smile; Soujiro was surprised but was smiling widely nonetheless; Aoshi just raised his eyebrow quizzically at the scene. Okina took his seat and "ahem"ed and they quieted down.

"Let me guess. Either Sano or Kaoru did something to Yahiko and now, Misao is trying to restrain Yahiko from attacking one of them. Or maybe both of them, seeing as both of them are laughing so hard," said Okina dryly. Kaoru gasped.

"Mr. Okina! How could you accuse _me_, the innocent little Kaoru? I would NEVER do anything to Yahiko!" said Kaoru as she smiled so sweetly that it would make the sweetest person's teeth rot. But the mischievous gleam in her eyes said otherwise. "Besides, it was SANO that ruffled Yahiko's hair, not me!"

"Say no more, I understand the entire situation," said Okina as he let out a sigh. He looked over at the guests and smiled apologetically. "Forgive them for being so noisy, they haven't been together for a long time, so they're probably catching up and teasing each other endlessly."

"It's alright, Mister Okina. We understand. We haven't had any entertainment for a while and watching…them was quite entertaining," said Kenshin, smiling lightly. He glanced at Kaoru, giving her a wicked smirk that disappeared as soon as it appeared on his face. But Kaoru caught his smirk and blushed.

'He finds me…entertaining! ME, entertaining! Ooooh, the gall of that man!" thought Kaoru, fuming inside. But she quickly made herself focus back into the situation at hand.

"So, Mister Sagara? What sort of business do you do?" asked Soujiro politely.

Misao, Kaoru, Sano, and Yahiko just looked at each other and laughed out loud.

"Forgive me for not introducing him properly," said Misao after she finished laughing. "My cousin here is none other than the Prince of England."

The reactions from the three guests were comical. Kenshin's eyes were wide, his eyebrows disappearing under his bangs. Soujiro was shocked as well, his mouth was slightly open. And Aoshi, the man who NEVER shows his emotions, was _actually_ showing an emotion that could pass as a mild surprise. Sano, Kaoru, Misao, and Yahiko started laughing very hard.

"Finally! I thought Mister Shinomori would never show any other emotion!" said Misao, in between her laughs.

All the three men stood up from their seats and started to bow and when Sano held a hand motioning them to stop.

"Please, don't bow to me right now. I came here to not only visit my dear cousin and my friends, but to also escape from the formalities of being royalty. Right now, I am as normal as anybody else. When the time comes, you can bow to me then," said Sano. He made a shooing motion to have them sit back down again and they did. 

"Also, I would appreciate it if none of you revealed to anyone that I am the prince during my stay here. I do not want to deal with the pressure that I tried to escape from back in the palace in the first place," continued Sano, and they nodded in return, too stunned from the shock.

"You're staying here?" asked Misao and Kaoru simultaneously. Sano grinned and nodded, earning a squeal from both of them and was pounced on and hugged by the two women. Even though Yahiko rolled his eyes, he couldn't help but grin at the scene.

"Alright, Misao, Kaoru, let go of Sano before he dies of suffocation!" said Okina even though he was laughing too. Misao and Kaoru let go like he said.

"Thank you, Uncle! I thought I was going to die!" said Sano as he pretended to choke and cough. Both Misao and Kaoru 'helpfully' beat him on the back and made Sano jump up and try to escape from the women.

"Now now, before we have another commotion, all of us should let Sano talk, don't you think?" said Okina and everybody calmed down.

"Grandfather's right, Sano. Why are you here in the first place? I thought it was very hard to escape your father…"said Misao.

"I came here to spend some time away from the palace. The pressure is even worse from before. Everyone wants me to get married soon. We have been visited by princesses and nobility so that I can choose one of them as my bride. When I told my father that I didn't want to get married now, he was furious and we had quite an argument about it," said Sano and let out a sigh. "And on top of this all, the concubines have been very…strange." Sano blushed after saying that.

"They're probably hoping you might choose one of them as a bride," said Kaoru as-a-matter-of-factly.

"I've had the same notion as well," said Sano worriedly. "I told my father that I didn't need any concubines, but he won't send them away and they won't leave either! It's incredibly frustrating!" Sano calmed down after that and continued. "Also, I remembered that your birthday was coming up soon. So, I took that as the perfect excuse to escape the palace and came here. After all, this is the only place where I can be myself…Misao, Uncle Okina…will you let me stay here for a while? I promise to not be a burden!" Sano looked at Misao and Okina with pleading eyes. Okina and Misao looked at each other and nodded.

"Sano, you are utterly absurd. I never thought that _you_, of all the people, would think that we would be so heartless that we wouldn't even let one of our own _family members_, stay here," said Misao, shaking her head in disappointment. "I'm truly hurt Sano. I really am."

"So…does that mean I can stay?" asked Sano, clearly worried.

"Of course, you oaf! Why would you think that we wouldn't let you stay here? All of us missed your company so much!" yelled Misao. Sano grinned at that and hugged Misao.

"Thank you so much, Misao! And you too, Uncle!" said Sano excitedly. "Oh, where's Megumi?"

"Oh, um, she's been quite busy taking care of people. Lately, many people have been getting sick, so Doctor Genzai and Megumi have been very VERY busy…" said Kaoru. Both her and Misao looked at each other and grinned. Sano looked from Kaoru and Misao, clearly puzzled, but chose to forget it. 

"Master, the lunch is ready," said a maid as she walked in.

"Well then, let us have lunch!" said Okina and everybody followed him.

* * *

After lunch, the guests were shown to their rooms so they could rest. Which is why Kenshin found himself sitting on his bed, clearly bored. He got up and walked around his room, looking at everything that were there, from the mirror to the curtains, but nothing interested him since he has seen all this in his own home! He then heard laughter from the outside and went to look out the window. Below, he saw a beautiful garden and saw two women in it, trying to walk in the garden without stepping on the small puddles. He chuckled as he saw one of them almost fall into one but was saved by the other one grabbing her arm in time. She turned, her face flushed from embarrassment and said something to the other woman, who just laughed it off. The woman who almost fell over was none other than Kaoru, he realized. The other woman, Misao, said something and left Kaoru to stand in the garden alone. She turned to look at one of the plants, completely unaware of being watched from a window.

'Hmm…seems as though I've found my entertainment' thought Kenshin. He smirked to himself. 'Perhaps I should…_entertain_ myself even more by going to the garden as well? Heh, in fact, I think I will…' His eyes glinted dangerously as his smirk deepened. He left his room and walked briskly to the garden.

* * *

Kaoru sighed peacefully as she smelled one of the flowers. She wished that her life would be like that too, once she was done smelling the flowers. But it was too much to hope for, after all. First, her father's death, then the destruction of her home, and now…the Count. Her thoughts immediately turned toward the events of that day. She still couldn't believe that the men she swore to hate for all eternity, were Misao's guests. She especially hated that red-haired Count for he kept looking at her in that funny way…because every time she saw him look at her, it did funny things to her stomach.

'Aaaah, I must stop thinking about them! This is my private time, to ignore the rest of the world and enjoy the garden! I shouldn't be thinking about ANYTHING, let alone those men!' thought Kaoru furiously. She glared and huffed at herself.

"Those flowers must not smell so good, judging by the look on your face."

Kaoru jumped, almost falling into a puddle near her, and turned to look. It was none other than the red-haired Count she was thinking about. He chuckled when he saw her face and started walking towards her and jumping over the puddles, much to her horror.

'Dear God, why must you torture me so? What have I done to deserve this? Am I not entitled for some peace at all, without being interrupted by boars like him?' thought Kaoru, panicking with every step the Count was taking towards her. He finally came to a stop beside her and looked at the flowers. She immediately composed herself and decided to glare at him.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I'm a guest here"

"No, I mean why are you _here_?" asked Kaoru, pointing at the garden. 'Ruining my peace?' she added, thinking to herself.

"Because I want to see the garden," said Kenshin coolly. He gave her a smirk.

Kaoru wanted to hurl everything she could find at him. She was, in fact, itching to scoop the mud from the ground, and this time, throw it right at his face. She very much wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.

"Shouldn't you be elsewhere, bothering someone else?" asked Kaoru as she restrained herself from doing anything hasty.

"My lady, you wound me. I'm here to keep you company because you looked so lonely," said Kenshin sweetly.

"When pigs fly, I'll believe that," said Kaoru scathingly. "I know for a fact that you are here with another motive. What do you want?"

"Dear me, aren't we feisty. But I shouldn't really be surprised…after all, you _did_ throw mud at me, which, I might add, was very immature of you," said Kenshin.

"What? Immature? You ruined my dress AND broke my friend's brooch and kept moving without even apologizing! If you had any ounce of manners in you, you would've stopped to apologize and would've paid me for that brooch!" said Kaoru, fuming.

"I have no time to waste on little creatures that pass on the street when I have bigger business to attend to," retorted Kenshin.

"Ha, it is men like _you_ who give the gentlemen in the rest of the world a bad name!" said Kaoru haughtily.

Immediately Kaoru realized that that was a wrong thing to say, for Kenshin stiffened and glared at her. He took one step closer to her, barely inches from her. Kaoru thought he was going to slap her and instinctively moved backwards, only to fall backwards in a puddle, ruining her dress completely.

"And _that_, my dear, is what happens when someone insults me," said Kenshin as he looked at on her. He smirked again and said, "And so, let the games…begin." He turned and marched away from Kaoru, out of the garden.

Kaoru sat there in the puddle in shock. She couldn't what just happened. Suddenly, something clicked in her head and she looked at where she was standing before and then looked at where was now.

'Dear Lord…he…he knew I was nearby a puddle…and knew that if I took one step backward, I would fall into he puddle…he knew…' thought Kaoru. She looked up instantly, when it dawned to her that he planned that all along and deliberately took that step forward. Anger bubbled up in her.

"You…you…SCUUUUUUMMMM!"

**A/N: **Hello people! dodges all the rocks and everything else that are thrown at her Aaaaaah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Sorry for not updating for so long! The truth is, I had a writer's block…for this story at least. Plus I was uninspired to write this too…and I was preparing myself for my college and stuff! Sorry! As you see, this chapter is quite long! I hope you all are satisfied with it! I really hope you like this chapter, Battousai's Woman, because thanks to your urging, I finished it! Enjoy and please PLEASE review! Also, check out my other story and review too! I assure you, it's not as bad, it's completely different! Ba-bye!


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